Irene Reid (lollipop lady)
Irene Reid MBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 or 1941 |
| Occupation | Lollipop lady |
| Years active | 1968-present |
| Title | Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
Irene Reid (born 1940 or 1941) is a British lollipop lady who was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II, in 2012.
In 2017, she was the UK's longest-serving lollipop lady.
Career[edit]
Reid worked as a lollipop lady in Longridge, Ribble Valley,[1] covering the school crossing on Berry Lane,[2] earning her a 2003 award for The Golden Jubilee Lollipop Person of the year.[3] She was later in 2012 awarded a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II[4] for her services to road safety.[5] In 2012, she was the longest-serving lollipop lady in Lancashire.[5] By 2017, she was the UK's longest serving crossing patroller.[6] She has been outspoken about crossing safety for children, openly criticising plans by Lancashire County Council in 2014 to reduce funding for crossing patrols.[7]
By 2021, she had been working as a lollipop lady for 53 years.[1] Reid also worked with the Longridge Youth and Community Centre for a decade.[8]
Personal life[edit]
As of 2022[update], Reid lived in Ribble Valley and was aged 81.[4] By 2019, she had four children,[6] including a daughter, Angela,[1] six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.[6]
She appeared on the British television game show Blankety Blank in 2021.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Faulkner, Paul (1 Nov 2021). "Bradley Walsh as host persuades Longridge lollipop lady of 53 years to go on Blankety Blank". Lancashire Post.
- ^ "Lollipop lady to open Longridge Does Christmas". Lancashire Evening Post. November 29, 2019 – via Gale OneFile.
- ^ "Help lick our lollipop crisis". Lancashire Evening Post. January 9, 2006 – via Gale OneFile.
- ^ a b "Queen Elizabeth II meeting was 'like two nans nattering'". BBC News. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ a b "MBE honour for Longridge lollipop lady Irene Reid". BBC News. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ a b c Finch, Fiona (13 March 2019). "Irene's 50 fabulous years as Lancashire's Mrs Lollipop". Lancashire Post.
- ^ "Crossing patrol plan will 'put young lives at risk'". Lancashire Evening Post. February 28, 2014 – via Gale OneFile.
- ^ Duggan, Claran (October 11, 2017). "Irene's still top of the lollipops for children". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ Macpherson, Jon (November 2, 2021). "Longridge lollipop lady stuns Blankety Blank host Bradley Walsh when sharing her age". LancsLive. Retrieved December 16, 2022.